


Safe Havens

by thesoundofnat



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Nightmares
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-11
Updated: 2015-06-11
Packaged: 2018-04-03 23:47:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4119040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thesoundofnat/pseuds/thesoundofnat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The image of Voldemort killing Cedric keeps haunting Harry’s dreams, so he finds comfort in Sirius and Remus.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Safe Havens

**Author's Note:**

> Also posted on my tumblr thesoundofnat.tumblr.com

Harry saw the all too familiar blaze of green before his eyes, making his body go rigid, the ache in his scar almost ripping his head apart. He started screaming in pain, screaming in terror, screaming in sorrow. He screamed so loudly that his throat started closing up, suffocating him, slowly killing him...

He woke up with a start, his pyjamas completely soaked with sweat. It was dark. Nighttime. The silence was almost deafening. He blinked, but it was as if the image of Voldemort killing Cedric would be forever imprinted onto his eyelids. He let out a shuddering breath, risking a glance to the side. Ron was still sleeping soundly on his bed. Harry had become pretty good at not screaming for real when he was having a nightmare.

He got up, shivering in his wet clothes, and made his way out of the room quietly. He needed to get out or he’d combust.

Harry walked through the rooms of number 12 Grimmauld Place, feeling his body fill up with rage. This wasn’t fair. Why did he have to deal with nightmares and memories of his friend being killed and still be kept out of the loop on everything? Why did he have to wake up every night with terror in his heart? None of this was fair.

He walked up and down several flights of stairs, not quite sure where he was going. He knew he wouldn’t be able to leave the building without anyone noticing, so he decided to try to find a place people were least likely to look for him. No one would be able to really blame him for isolating himself.

But when he walked into a small room with a couple of sofas he was shocked to find that he wasn’t the only one awake.

“Harry?”

He paused in the doorway, looking at Sirius and Remus tiredly. He didn’t feel like explaining himself.

“I couldn’t sleep,” he mumbled.

Sirius was perched on a large couch while Remus was sitting on the armchair next to him. Both looked wide awake yet exhausted at the same time.

“Nightmares?” Sirius asked quietly.

Harry nodded, shifting awkwardly from foot to foot.

“Come and sit down,” Remus said, gesturing to the seat next to Sirius.

Harry did, only because he didn’t know what else to do. “What are you two doing here?” he asked as he sat down.

“I’m having a hard time sleeping in this place,” Sirius replied honestly. “And Moony found me here one night, and it’s become sort of like a tradition for us to sit here until we fall asleep.”

“Oh.” He scratched his head, inhaling loudly. “I keep dreaming of it.”

They both knew what he meant.

“That’s understandable,” Remus said softly.

“I wish it would stop.” Harry sighed, pulling up his knees and resting his head against them. “I wish it could all just stop.”

He knew it was his exhaustion speaking and that he would never normally tell them these things, but he longed for someone to take his burden off of him. He needed a parent. Just someone to take care of him for once.

Sirius placed a hand on his shoulder. It was strong and reassuring, and Harry felt himself leaning into the touch.

“You don’t deserve this,” he whispered, and Harry felt the couch dip down with an added weight on his other side. Remus put his hand gently on Harry’s neck.

They sat in silence, Sirius and Remus both just holding onto him, and Harry, with his face hidden from view, fighting hard against the tears threatening to spill.

They must have fallen asleep at one point, for Harry woke up the next morning curled up in between them. He felt calmer than he had in months.

And so Harry was thrown into the tradition. He would go to sleep with Ron in their shared bedroom, but always ended up with Remus and Sirius in the small room. Sleeping with them nearby seemed to keep the nightmares away.

Of course that wouldn’t last.

He woke up to someone shaking him.

“It’s just a nightmare,” Sirius said, his voice oddly strained. “It’s okay. We’ve got you.”  
Harry’s throat was aching. Maybe he hadn’t mastered the art of not screaming while dreaming after all.

He let out a sob, to his great embarrassment. He tried to take a calming breath, but it mostly resembled a shaky wheeze.

“You’re safe,” Remus said, giving his arm a squeeze. “We’re here.”

Harry knew they tried to hide it, but the concern on their faces was evident. He shook them off of him, feeling pathetic. “I’m okay,” he muttered hoarsely.

They backed off a bit as Harry calmed himself down, but as much as he tried to deny it he missed the warmth and comfort of them holding him.

No one said anything for the rest of the night. Sirius and Remus eventually retook their places close to his sides again, and Harry fell asleep faster than he usually did after a nightmare. He was glad to have them in his life.


End file.
